Showing posts with label bad day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bad day. Show all posts

Friday, June 27, 2008

I'm feeling down about my job. I still like what I do and I like the people. My job has a great balance of customer service and programming/problem solving. I love that. I love going that extra little bit to make my product better than what is required. It makes me happy. It makes my clients happy. I get a good reputation that I'm good to work with. It always surprises people when they find out I'm not at the supervisory level, but still at the worker-bee level and my work is that good. But there still is a spot of depression about my job.

I've been in my current position for six and a half years. When I was hired, I was the only one on the team besides the head programmer for the project. Now there are two of us that do what I do and the rest work on the hardware & network side of the staff.

I've seen people come and go and I'm still here. I've been here longer than my current branch chief. I've out-stayed the section chief, G. He just left this week, he got a promotion to a branch chief in another part of our agency. He had been the section chief over both sides of the house, but mostly the hardware/network side. I'm not that ambitious as far as making the most money I can earn here in the government. I'm really happy doing what I'm doing so why go and mess that up by getting a job supervising people in an office I'm not familiar with? So I haven't applied for any section chief positions in many years.

I when I found out G was leaving, I thought about wanting the job but dismissed it because I didn't want to be responsible for the hardware & network, but would like to be responsible for the programming and clients. Then I got to thinking about working for Phil, who would be the other possible person to get the job. I've mentioned him before, young whiz-kid techno-genius. Zero in the customer service department. I don't want to work for Phil. So maybe I should see about getting that job, huh?

Yesterday I talked to my branch chief about the position and when it's going to be open for application. It's not. The job will be filled by someone lateraling over. Get this: someone who is not savvy on the hardware & network side. Not. His. Forte.

I'm crushed and feeling down about my job now. I'm wondering why my branch chief didn't consider me for the position if he was going to pull over someone else who wasn't strong in hardware and networking. I could understand it if this guy was, but no. I'd hate to think it's because I'm a girl. In an all-boy office.

Friday, August 31, 2007

Compilation of Failures

Yesterday is over. Thank goodness.

I volunteered to coordinate my office picnic, sorry, summer off-site staff development meeting. Two years ago I planned it, it went well, but decided to hand over the reins to someone else. It never got off the ground.

My boss asked me to coordinate the outing again this year and I agreed. One reason for me to do it is because I am a member of a pool club which has a nice place for a group gathering.

In the beginning I polled office mates as to whether they'd like a planned menu or potluck. The results were split. I took the diplomatic approach, those who wanted to bring potluck could and the rest could just give me $5 each and I'd purchase extra food for the group. Good plan, yes?

The pool club opens at 11:00 am in the summer and noon when school is in session, so the plan was to have everyone start arriving around noon and we'll start the grills at 12:30. Instead of going into the office, I stayed home bought and prepared the food from the monetary contributions. I bought brownie mix, chicken to grill, chicken to make my curried chicken salad, cucumbers, and a gallon of milk to make another batch of mozzarella to go with the tomatoes someone else was bringing.

The batch of cheese completely failed, didn't come together at all, the curds never formed solidly enough to create the cheese. I think it was too hot when I put the rennet in.

I ran out of my favorite curry powder for the chicken salad. My neighbor was visiting and ran to the store to get some for me, thank you.

Do you need anything else while I'm there? "No, thanks, I think I have everything." Out the door and down the driveway and I remember I need tablecloths for the picnic tables. Darn, now I have to make another stop on the way to the pool.

I arrive at the pool at 5 till 12:00 and the gates are still closed so I run over to the grocery first. I'm back at 10 after 12:00 and the parking lot is still empty, whew, nobody is there yet. and the gates are still locked. Uh oh. The club opens at 1:00 pm when school is in session, not noon. D'oh!

On the bright side, no one showed up until about 25 minutes till 1 and I remembered the printout of the guest list to give the gate guard and remembered to bring the grill tools.

Forgot to have someone bring napkins with other paper goods, and forgot to write down the person bringing hamburgers so I forgot burgers would be on the menu.

Then there's the whole part when I left the picnic —and Kevin—to pick up Daughter so she can attend, but her bus was late, thus I abandoned my guests for much longer than intended. And most were gone when I got back. Argh.

I hope everyone had a good time despite my oversights and failures.

Can't wait till next year!

Thursday, June 29, 2006

How come bad days never get better?

The rain made the roads bad, but I made it to drop off the kids at day camp on time, then on to the radiology office to pick up my x-rays of my arm. But their printer wasn't working, so I only had a written report to take to my orthopedic appointment at 9:15. I arrive 10 minutes early, but at the wrong office. I called the number on the referral and went to the address listed. Someone had transposed the information for my benefit.

I got the directions to the correct office and the 20 minute drive took 45. Then I had to wait another 75 minutes to be seen. I had asked at the first office when I could be seen there instead of being late at the other, but she said July 10th.

This was all before lunch, too.

Sheesh. Ever had a day that couldn't get better at all?